Re: spiralling hexany

Hi Alison,

Thanks for the suggestions and the books.

Yes, working at carpentry would be a nice thing to do,
however basic ones skills may be.

Perhaps I may try it some time when I'm up in Skye
- my brother-in-law there is the one who is a carpenter
(amongst other things) and has all the equipment etc.
and would surely be delighted to help me with this if
I got involved.

Yes, keep composing yourself too!

Bound to keep at it as it is kind of something in ones
nature or something, just singing or whistling or
whatever, even if I don't touch a keyboard or write things
down, but will keep at that as well.

I've been thinking some more about the hexany, one
could map the six notes to the keyboard as

1*3 3*5 1*5 5*7 1*7 3*7

Then, any adjacent three notes play a triad, and
any alternating sequence of three notes play a triad
and those are all the ones there are.

Gives
3/2 15/8 5/4 35/32 7/4 21/16

->
1/1 5/4 5/6 35/48 7/6 7/8 1/1

Makes a nice scale to improvise so I think the instrument
would be a good one to have. If one is expecting it to go
somewhere then it is frustrating, but if one goes with
the feeling of weightlessness it is great.

I've also been experimenting with a spiralling hxany:

1/1 8/7 12/7 96/35 12/5 32/15 4/3

(non octave scale repeating at 4/3, and it goes
up and down in waves across the keyboard).

5*7 5 3*5 3 3*7 7/3 5*7/3

where the 3*7 7/3 5*7/3 = 1 1/9 5/9

so next chord is 7/3 5*7/3 5/3

so that it continues across the break as
consecutive triads.

Also four of the six triads you get from playing
groups of three alternate notes are also consonant, and the two
remaining ones are quite interesting crunchy
ones too.

Though a non octave scale, it has some perfect octaves in it
with span in degrees > octave.

http://members.tripod.com/~robertinventor/tunes/improvisations.htm#spiralling_hexany

Robert

Robert Walker wrote:

> Hi Alison,
>
> Thanks for the suggestions and the books.
>
> Yes, working at carpentry would be a nice thing to do,
> however basic ones skills may be.
>
> Perhaps I may try it some time when I'm up in Skye
> - my brother-in-law there is the one who is a carpenter
> (amongst other things) and has all the equipment etc.
> and would surely be delighted to help me with this if
> I got involved.

You'll probably find the woodworking straightforward enough. It's the design that I find tricky as
the instruments I want to make, and your ideas too, are unique and need dedicated solutions.

> Yes, keep composing yourself too!
>
> Bound to keep at it as it is kind of something in ones
> nature or something, just singing or whistling or
> whatever, even if I don't touch a keyboard or write things
> down, but will keep at that as well.
>
> I've been thinking some more about the hexany, one
> could map the six notes to the keyboard as
>
> 1*3 3*5 1*5 5*7 1*7 3*7
>
> Then, any adjacent three notes play a triad, and
> any alternating sequence of three notes play a triad
> and those are all the ones there are.
>
> Gives
> 3/2 15/8 5/4 35/32 7/4 21/16
>
> ->
> 1/1 5/4 5/6 35/48 7/6 7/8 1/1
>
> Makes a nice scale to improvise so I think the instrument
> would be a good one to have. If one is expecting it to go
> somewhere then it is frustrating, but if one goes with
> the feeling of weightlessness it is great.
>
> I've also been experimenting with a spiralling hxany:
>
> 1/1 8/7 12/7 96/35 12/5 32/15 4/3
>
> (non octave scale repeating at 4/3, and it goes
> up and down in waves across the keyboard).
>
> 5*7 5 3*5 3 3*7 7/3 5*7/3
>
> where the 3*7 7/3 5*7/3 = 1 1/9 5/9
>
> so next chord is 7/3 5*7/3 5/3
>
> so that it continues across the break as
> consecutive triads.
>
> Also four of the six triads you get from playing
> groups of three alternate notes are also consonant, and the two
> remaining ones are quite interesting crunchy
> ones too.
>
> Though a non octave scale, it has some perfect octaves in it
> with span in degrees > octave.
>
> http://members.tripod.com/~robertinventor/tunes/improvisations.htm#spiralling_hexany
>
> Robert

I think your hexany idea is excellent and I hope you realise it. I think it's been mentioned in
the past. It really is what is needed as it would set out visually what is done musically, like a
small version of the tonality diamond. I'd strongly recommend 3/4" or 1/2" steel tube as opposed
to wood if you prefer sustaining tones with the hexany.

Regards

Hi Alison,

> I think your hexany idea is excellent and I hope you realise it. I think it's been mentioned in
> the past. It really is what is needed as it would set out visually what is done musically, like a
> small version of the tonality diamond. I'd strongly recommend 3/4" or 1/2" steel tube as opposed
> to wood if you prefer sustaining tones with the hexany.

Yes, it would be really great to have a little octahedron hexany that one could pick up and
play at any time. Could be really small on the kalimba type model.

Is the steel tube for the structure, and how does it help with the sustaining tones?
Prob. I'll understand better after looking at the books.

I suppose, thinking about steel tube another way, an octahedral hexany wind chime might
be nice too. Especially, perhaps if one could have a sphere or something hanging in the
centre positioned so that if it moved out of the centre it would hit a cluster of three
notes and play a triad. That could be done using the hexagonal star type arrangement,
indeed, just place the six notes in a hexagon, with a striker free in the centre,
but misses out two of the triads that way.

Or, if one could take one up into space, have them in octahedral arrangement with
the striker just floating free in the middle, so it then will play diads or triads
as it moves around freely in response to air currents in the room.
:-)

Robert

Robert Walker wrote:

> Hi Alison,
>
> > I think your hexany idea is excellent and I hope you realise it. I think it's been mentioned in
> > the past. It really is what is needed as it would set out visually what is done musically, like a
> > small version of the tonality diamond. I'd strongly recommend 3/4" or 1/2" steel tube as opposed
> > to wood if you prefer sustaining tones with the hexany.
>
> Yes, it would be really great to have a little octahedron hexany that one could pick up and
> play at any time. Could be really small on the kalimba type model.
>
> Is the steel tube for the structure, and how does it help with the sustaining tones?
> Prob. I'll understand better after looking at the books.

Sorry but I didn't make myself clear. The steel tubes are the bars or chimes, the instruments
themselves. I envisage a wooden or metal hexagonal frame, either a star or a 'circumference', and the
player gets in the middle. Could get a bit satanic if you wanted a pentagon.

>
> I suppose, thinking about steel tube another way, an octahedral hexany wind chime might
> be nice too. Especially, perhaps if one could have a sphere or something hanging in the
> centre positioned so that if it moved out of the centre it would hit a cluster of three
> notes and play a triad. That could be done using the hexagonal star type arrangement,
> indeed, just place the six notes in a hexagon, with a striker free in the centre,
> but misses out two of the triads that way.
>
> Or, if one could take one up into space, have them in octahedral arrangement with
> the striker just floating free in the middle, so it then will play diads or triads
> as it moves around freely in response to air currents in the room.
> :-)

Book me on that flight Captain.

>
> Kind Regards
>

Hi Alison,

Thanks, that makes sense.

I've been wondering today about a hexany wind chimes mobile,
as a way of bringing the space hexany to earth as it
were.

Idea is to suspend the tuned tubes in a 3D hexany arrangement,

Easiest would be to suspend them from an octahedron

One would do it with triangular face horizontal, to make the six
pointed star arrangement.

Also suspend the striker in the middle of them all, but
with an arrangement of mobile type horizontal bars
so that it can swing independentally both horizontally
and vertiacally..

Something like this:

|
_|____
| |
| __|___
|| |
|| O
_______||_______
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
* | | | | | *
| * O | |
* | *
*

Here the *s are the wind chimes and
the Os are strikers.

The striker in the middle of all the hexany chimes
would be suspended from a string or thread that goes down through
the centre of the octahedron.

The other one is just a counterweight to balance it.

I'm not sure if it would work or not.

Striker has to be perhaps a sphere, if one could get one light
enough for a windchime that would also make a sound when hitting
the chimes.

I found a nice site on windchimes with soundclips of the
various types of materials they can be made from:
http://www.windchimes-windbells.com/

Bamboo sounded nice.

Robert

Robert Walker wrote:

> Hi Alison,
>
> Thanks, that makes sense.
>
> I've been wondering today about a hexany wind chimes mobile,
> as a way of bringing the space hexany to earth as it
> were.
>
> Idea is to suspend the tuned tubes in a 3D hexany arrangement,
>
> Easiest would be to suspend them from an octahedron
>
> One would do it with triangular face horizontal, to make the six
> pointed star arrangement.
>
> Also suspend the striker in the middle of them all, but
> with an arrangement of mobile type horizontal bars
> so that it can swing independentally both horizontally
> and vertiacally..
>
> Something like this:
>
> |
> _|____
> | |
> | __|___
> || |
> || O
> _______||_______
> | | | | | | |
> | | | | | | |
> * | | | | | *
> | * O | |
> * | *
> *
>
> Here the *s are the wind chimes and
> the Os are strikers.
>
> The striker in the middle of all the hexany chimes
> would be suspended from a string or thread that goes down through
> the centre of the octahedron.
>
> The other one is just a counterweight to balance it.
>
> I'm not sure if it would work or not.
>
> Striker has to be perhaps a sphere, if one could get one light
> enough for a windchime that would also make a sound when hitting
> the chimes.
>
> I found a nice site on windchimes with soundclips of the
> various types of materials they can be made from:
> http://www.windchimes-windbells.com/
>
> Bamboo sounded nice.
>
> Robert
>

Looks and should sound good too. Have you decided what type of metal to use? The great thing about
bars or tubes is that you can use them in instruments for a specific project, then hang them as
chimes between instrumental uses. I've never worked with bamboo but the ones I've seen and heard
are very beautiful. I'd use bamboo tomorrow, but the UK is not the best place to find supplies.

I'm always on the lookout for chimes and although I've seen some great designs I think that there
is much more to be done, not only in design, but also in tunings. At the back of my mind I have
some ideas for wind and bird-powered chime machines for the garden.

Kind Regards